


I Found You at the Edge of the World

by Firekitten



Category: RWBY
Genre: I want to just call this the Parkour AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 09:15:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19809271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firekitten/pseuds/Firekitten
Summary: Team STRQ was a group dedicated to danger. From scaling up the exteriors of skyscrapers to hanging off bridges with no rope to outrunning security for trespassing, the channel was quickly becoming one of Youtube’s newest internet sensations – and one Taiyang still couldn’t help but question why he’d agreed to become a part of. Maybe it was because of how beautiful the sights were to see from so high up? Or perhaps he truly was an adrenaline junkie, bent on finding his next fix? Or maybe It was simply the sense of freedom that came after breaking the law?Whatever the reason, it certainly had nothing to do with the fact he was head over heels for Qrow Branwen.…Except when it did.[Modern Day AU]





	I Found You at the Edge of the World

**Author's Note:**

> This story drew inspiration from multiple Youtube channels: Ally Law, Storror, Brave Wilderness, and even a little bit Game Grumps and Game Theory.
> 
> A gentle disclaimer: no this story is not condoning criminal behavior and yes trespassing/breaking-and-entering can land you into some serious legal trouble, please don't do it.

Meeting the Harbinger Trio was the worst thing to of ever happened to him.

At least, that’s what Taiyang was thinking as he vaulted over the brick wall, the shouts from the police officer pursing him being politely ignored. He ran full tilt down the sidewalk of the business district, taking the first corner he could and zigzagging through another alley to get to another street. By the time he was another two blocks away, his chest felt ready to explode. He ducked into a small store full of antiques, hurrying to the back of the store and out of sight of the cashier.

He fell back against a wardrobe, gasping for air. Somewhere between silently cursing his luck and praying that Narnia would take him, his phone started to vibrate.

Qrow boisterous laughter filled his ear. “Holy shit man! That was insane!”

Tai thumped his head on the back of the wardrobe, the other’s energy too infectious to resist. “Fuck yeah it was. Y’all get away alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. We’re heading towards Four Kingdoms. Meet us there?”

“For sure.”

He waited a few minutes, just to be extra sure the coast was clear, before leaving the store and heading for the plaza. As the name implied, it was a large two-story mall that was set up on a four-way intersection. Overhanging the streets were enclosed, glass bridges, allowing shoppers to traverse from one section to another with ease. That made it easy to spot his friends where they stood in the middle of one. Summer waving wildly at him helped too.

Tai turned into the mall and went up the escalator, rounding it to head for the hall.

“There’s the man of the hour!” Qrow greeted, high-fiving him.

Summer bounced over to his side, hanging onto his arm. “Our fans are gonna freak when they see this one!”

“You think?” Tai asked, trying to hide how much their words were inflating his ego.

“That’s guaranteeing we don’t get caught on the next one.” Raven said, pushing off from the glass. “It was pretty decent though.”

“Oh damn!” Qrow mimed a camera her way. “Should of recorded that. Rare praise from the stone-cold bitch!”

“Jackass.” She shoved him. So he shoved back. In seconds, they were in a grapple. Raven ultimately won as she managed to twist him around and give him a good kick in the ass.

“Hey, hey! Careful with the goods.” Her brother yelped, skipping a bit down the hall.

She picked up her backpack, hiking it up onto her shoulders. “What ‘goods’? Your ass is so flat, the penny won’t bounce. It’ll lay down.”

“Ouch.”

Summer giggled, picking up the rest of the bags, tossing Qrow his as she caught up with him. “Come on, let’s get some food and then decide where we’re gonna hole up tonight.”

Tai fell into step with them as they strolled towards the food court, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “We’re hitting this place up for the one mil, right? We ever decide what we’re doing?”

“Can we get up on the roof?” Summer asked.

“Not in any interesting way. We’d just be going up the fire escape.” Qrow replied, already posting up their latest photos onto Instagram.

And Raven was already on twitter, boasting about their latest adventure. It was sometimes scary how in tandem the two were. “Why don’t we do a Hide-and-Seek Challenge?”

“Hide and seek? Like with each other?”

“No. With security.” She snickered. “There’s four sections and four of us, right? We could each hide out in one of them until after closing and then whoever outlasts the longest without getting caught is the winner.”

“Ooo, I like it!” Summer squealed. “Oh-oh-oh! Idea! What if each of has to cycle the entire mall and get back to our section and out to win?”

“That sounds insane.” Tai could already feel the sweat on his palms. This was going to land them in jail, no doubt.

“Which means we gotta do it!” Qrow was practically leaping with excitement. “Better get my prize ready now. You’re all going down!”

It was unfair how easily that swayed him. “Buddy, you’re on.”

“Really?” He turned, walking backwards. “And what does a simple man such as yourself want for a prize?”

Tai knew he was expecting him to say something typical, like buying him his favorite dessert, so instead he smirked and said, “First, you can start by kissing my ass. Then you can make me dinner.”

Unfortunately, he was pretty sure it was statistically impossible to throw Qrow off his game, because all he did was wink and say, “Sounds like my kind of date.”

He was tempted to win, just to see if he’d keep his word.

* * *

“Alright lads and lassies, we’ll be signing off for tonight. But keep an eye out, we’ve got more to come, so make sure you subscribe for more!” Summer was saying into her camera, seeming unfettered by the fact only the grip of her hand was keeping her alive as she clung to the top of the twenty-foot metal corkscrew that made up the pointless decoration at the top of the thirty-story building they had snuck into.

It was definitely not something meant to be climbed but that had never stopped any of them.

“And remember,” She continued, her voice taking on a familiar lilt as she rambled off their tagline, “Be daring, be different and-” She swiveled the camera down towards were Qrow, Raven and he were precariously clinging on to other parts of the corkscrew.

“Keep moving forward!” Tai cheered with the twins.

“Ah yes! That was beautiful!” Summer praised, turning off the camera.

Qrow started his way down. “You should see the bomber pictures I got too.”

Tai landed down beside him, getting out of the way for the girls as they descended next. He turned, getting another look at the nighttime cityscape. Vale was gorgeous from this high up. The lower buildings were lit brightly, spread out like a fan made up of a million fireflies. Further out, the city dropped off as it met the ocean, mist already clinging onto the horizon, barely seen against the midnight blue of the sky. Round the other way, taller skyscrapers stood out like great spires from the business district. Before them was the town center, easily marked by the grand castle building that was city hall. Surrounding it were patches of dark green and red – a forest that seemed to act like a replacement moat. Though, in this case, all were welcome there since it was known as Beacon’s Garden, the largest park in all of Vale. The twins had raved about climbing some of the stuff there, but the security was so tight neither of them had quite worked out how they would accomplish it without landing themselves some time in a cell.

“Come on, let’s turn in.” Raven called, heading for the attic hatch.

He followed her with the rest down the ladder and to fire exit stairwell, which brought them to the level of the building they had made their own for the evening. The apartment complex was still under construction, but the walls were up and the carpets in. Each room smelt like fresh paint and sawdust. Water wasn’t running though, meaning they had to trek down every flight just to use the portable toilet. Only a few floors had electricity too. With such large windows and a full moon in the sky though, it wasn’t such a hindrance.

Soon, the four of them were sitting on their sleeping bags they’d laid out in a circle, munching on the sandwiches they’d gotten from the grocery store and tossing a large bag of Doritos between themselves. Raven had one earbud in and her laptop resting on her legs, editing the video they’d shot that morning. Sumemr was stretched out and doodling in her sketchbook, probably working on the new merchandise line. Tai shoved another handful of chips in his mouth, glancing over when he heard Qrow huff aggravatedly.

“Of bloody course.” He grumbled, glaring daggers at his phone.

“Wassup?” He asked.

The other man fell against his shoulder, showing him the Instagram post. “This is the most popular one.”

It was a shot of Tai, Raven and Summer on the top of the Sun Drop Hotel. The building had a decorative ornament; a yellow half-sun made of steel plating that stretched out from the rooftop, the circle branching off into multiple sharp points to mimic the rays. Looking at it from below, it looked like a rising sun. Each of them had stepped onto a corner of a ray and Qrow had laid down on his, taking an up-shot of the three of them while they posed. The angle alone was dizzying, the backdrop of the bright blue sky and just a hint of the city buildings around them adding to the feeling of height and levity.

“What’s wrong with that? It was your best picture.” Tai refuted.

“It’s not that, look at the comments.” Qrow said.

He scanned over them. A lot of them were just the average ‘Wicked cool!’ and ‘Wish I was that brave!’ but a good fraction of them were just hoorays that Tai was in the shot. One that caught his eye in particular was ‘Am I the only one who comes here just to see Taiyang looking cute as always?’. There was a little chain following it with a bunch of ‘Yes!’s and ‘Me too!’s.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, grabbing more chips. “Sorry. I don’t know why they like me so much.”

He really didn’t, especially when everyone absolutely hated him when he first joined. Even after the rage had calmed though, when in comparison to his friends, he _still_ didn’t get it. Summer was always so animated and full of bubbly enthusiasm, really driving the energy of the show as they hid out in facilities after closing to have fun or climbed their way up the tops of bridges, skyscrapers, and amusement park rides. The twins were all sass and high class, turning on a dime from mouthing off at pursuing security to subtly tricking employee staff that yes, they were indeed meant to be in the restricted area. All three of them combined were miles more entertaining, daring and drop-dead gorgeous compared to him – and nearly the rest of the world’s population too.

Next to them, Tai just kind of existed. A tagalong they’d picked up on accident and kept like a stray they didn’t want to leave out in the cold.

“Like you?” Qrow punched his arm. “Man, you’re like a damn superstar!”

“It’s probably because he’s blond.” Raven said, face awash with the blue light from her laptop. “He stands out the most, so of course he gets the most attention.”

Summer dragged the chip bag over to her, reaching her hand in. “It’s not just that. You’re so… oh, what’s a good word for it?”

“Boring?” He suggested.

“Tame!” She said, biting off a triangle edge. “People love how calm and easygoing you are. Like, when we tell you do to something crazy and you’re all like,” She sat up, trying to mimic the shoulder roll he usually did to psyche himself up, “‘Okay sure’, and then you do it like it was nothing!”

He never saw it that way. He only pretended to seem indifferent, because he figured if he could at least outwardly appear in control, then the internal freak out he was actually having couldn’t take over. “So? Raven acts pretty much the same way.”

“Except you forget,” Qrow was still leaning against him and used that leverage to shove him a bit. “She’s a girl.”

“There’s a reason people gave me the nickname stone cold bitch.” Raven said. He had to wonder if she was frowning a little more than usual and if that hinted at how much that actually bothered her.

Summer’s voice was still cheery, but there was something subtly heavy to it too, “The internet is a lot harsher to us then to you guys. If I act even just a _little_ too clingy to either of you guys, they’ll – well – whatever.”

Tai frowned. He never really stopped to read their comment sections before. Maybe he needed to. “That’s stupid. You’re all the most awesome people I’ve ever met. Granted, absolutely _insane_ , but awesome. And that’s why the channel is almost at one million. Because the real fans know that, no matter what some idiots might say.”

“Ah, we love you too!” She said, reaching out to pat his arm.

Raven just rolled her eyes, but she was smiling so he took it as a good thing. When she looked back down at her screen, she chuckled. “Wanna see your daring rescue?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah play it!” Qrow whooped, sitting up some more. Summer shifted up, siding back beside them for a better angle as Raven pulled out her headphones and turned the computer to face them.

The view was of the mechanical room they had all hidden in when they realized the police were coming up to detain them for climbing onto the hotel’s roof. Summer had the camera pointed between a stack of cardboard boxes she and the others had hidden behind, and a police officer was marching right for their hiding spot, passing by a locker-sized supply closet where Taiyang knew he was squeezed inside.

“Fuck,” Raven hissed from somewhere off-screen, almost too quiet to be heard over the drone of the nearby water boiler.

The camera shifted, catching the twins shrinking back against the wall. No where to go. They were trapped. It turned back to look through the gap, the police officer just a few feet away.

That’s when the supply closet door was slammed open and Taiyang leapt out of it. As he took off for the fire escape, the police officer whirled, yelling after him as he gave chase. The rest of it wasn’t recorded of course, but he knew the clip Summer took after of him explaining how he escaped would get edited in.

Instead the camera turned completely around, showing Summer’s shocked face. “Oh my god, Tai just bolted for us!” Then she turned it towards the twins, all of them bursting into hysterical laughter.

“Holy fuck! Good show man!” Qrow clapped his hands.

“Come on, come on! We gotta fucking go before more come up!” Raven said around her guffaws, kicking over some of the boxes. “We can take the elevator on the floor below!”

The Raven in real time swiveled her laptop back around, popping her earbuds back in. “I’m thinking I’ll edit in some music right before you come barreling out of there. _What’s up Danger_ might be good, right as it hits that really big upbeat.”

“Yeah, do it! That sounds sick.” Qrow encouraged before turning towards him. “Shit man, I still can’t believe you did that. You saved our asses.”

Tai rubbed the back of his neck, trying to fight down the heat rising to his cheeks. Suddenly, charging down several flights of stairs and through the parking garage didn’t seem like such a big deal. “I didn’t know it would work. I was just banking on the hope he didn’t actually know you guys were there and was just taking a look since it seemed so obvious.”

“It totally was. Not our best move.” Summer rolled her way back to her spot, splaying out. “Ugh, I’m so beat.”

He couldn’t help but follow her example, flopping down into the warm cushioning that lined the interior of the sleeping bag. “What are we going to do tomorrow?”

“We should head back to Four Kingdoms. Make a plan for the one mil vid.” Qrow laid out as well, though he dragged the Doritos his way and picked through them for the chips that had extra seasoning. “We’re gonna have to teach you how to use a Gopro, old man.”

Tai pillowed his head into his arms, letting his eyes slide shut. “Ha, ha, you’re hilarious.”

“I don’t have a lot of hope you’ll get it either. But don’t worry, I’ll be here for you every step of the way.” He teased, fingers ruffling up his hair.

If it weren’t for the fact the feeling was ridiculously pleasant and he was too dead tired to bother, he’d of knocked him back for the dig. As it were, he just hummed and the other eventually retreated. Yet – and this may have just been his wishful imagination – as he drifted off, he could have sworn he felt that hand return, the gentle carding of Qrow’s fingers through his hair lulling him to sleep.

* * *

It was still dark out when Tai woke up.

He checked his phone and surmised that the sun would be rising soon. He got up slowly, trying his best to be quiet as he picked up his shoes and tip-toed out of the room. Out in the hall, he pulled on his sneakers and stretched out a few of the aches that had settled into his muscles. By the time he got to the roof, he was still rubbing at a particularly deep knot in his shoulder, fairly certain he pulled it yesterday on that last vault over the parking garage wall.

He skipped the idea of climbing the corkscrew again and instead just sat right on the edge of the roof, letting his feet dangle nearly 300 feet in the air. A height that he was well aware was taller than even the topmost incline of most of the world’s biggest roller coasters. When he didn’t look down though and enjoyed the view instead, he could truly appreciate just what his friends were striving for anytime they did these crazy stunts. It wasn’t just about pushing the limits of the law just to see what they could get away with or about the insane rush of adrenaline that came with constantly putting their lives in precarious danger or even about the channel and the views.

Sometimes it was just… **_this_**. Being somewhere so high up, it was like being removed from society altogether; like all the worries and troubles were left forgotten on the ground floor. That as long as he was up here, nothing else mattered but the sensation that followed after a deathly stunt. One of pure freedom and a powerful exhilaration for life and all the beauty within it.

And he never would have known any of it if not for Qrow.

* * *

It was just by chance how they met.

There was a tiny outdoor skatepark that was close to the beach. The fence that enclosed it was probably only six feet tall and plenty of people easily scaled the slated metal, leaving graffiti across the equipment. Not that there was much there; just two small ramps, a few grinding rails, and one decently sized bowl. But, his cousin just so happened to be working the entrance gate that summer. Which meant free admission for him. So, he’d swing by every now and again to just chill and skate around for a couple hours.

One day, when no one was really there but himself, he kicked his skateboard to the side and started messing around. He climbed up on the guard rails, balancing across them and jumping from rail to rail.

“If you break open your head, I’m not telling Aunt Ju!” Missy called from the admission box.

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved her off. He hopped over to the tallest one, walking right to the middle and shouted, “Hey, watch this!”

“Taiyang don’t you dare-”

Ignoring her, he bent his knees a bit, making sure his weight was even, before he sprung backwards. He tucked in, the ground and sky spinning together in his vision as he flipped through the air. He stuck the landing, whooping loudly.

What he certainly wasn’t expecting to hear were echoes of that cheer. He spun around, catching three people standing on the sidewalk, the guy and shorter of the two girls giving him a round of applause. The other girl of the group just seemed bored as she sipped on a slushy.

“Yeah man, that was rad!” The male of the group called to him.

He laughed, running a hand along the back of his neck. “Oh, uh thanks!”

The guy leant up against the fence. “You into parkour or something?”

Tai crossed over, just so they wouldn’t have to keep shouting. “Not intensely or anything, but I know a few tricks.”

“Can you cat leap?” The short girl asked.

“Uh, which one is that?”

“Like this.”

The other girl glanced at her as she started to back up. “Summer you’re in-”

But Summer was already doing it, sprinting right for the fence and leaping towards it, catching the top of the railing with her hands. She used the balls of her feet against the metal bars to hop up, twisting around and landing neatly right beside him.

“-A dress, but whatever.” The other girl finished exasperatedly.

“Whoa. That was cool.” Tai looked at the fence then back at Summer, impressed. She just seemed so tiny and dainty. Where did she hide all that strength?

She gave him a little curtsy. “Thank you kindly!”

A second later, the guy was landing on the other side. He was taller, so his movements were even more fluid as he cleared the top without anything but his hands even touching it. He glanced back. “Come on Raven!”

“ **I’m** in a dress!” She said, grabbing the frills that ended just below her thighs for emphasis.

Summer giggled. “When has that ever stopped you?”

“Fine. Qrow, hold this.” She shoved the cup through the bars, letting her brother take it so she could hop over as well.

“So hey,” Qrow said as he turned back to him. “Can you show me how you did that off the railing? I can do a few wall flips and shit, but nothing like that.”

Tai stuffed his hands in his pockets, shrugging. “Sure.”

“Cool!” He sipped on the slushy, having to fight off his sister when she tried to steal it back.

They ended up spending the rest of the day together, just hanging out and showing off. When they ran out of things to do at the skatepark, they headed for the recreational center, vaulting over the brick walls lining the stairs or racing each other to see who could hop across all the stone bollards the quickest. It also gave Qrow a chance to do some of those wall flips he’d talked about, which was absolutely mad to watch. It wasn’t until they were all completely wrecked and spiraled in the grass that he learned the trio were youtubers and their channel was starting to gain traction, with hundreds of new fans subscribing every day. They were almost at their 500K milestone and apparently the three were going to celebrate it by climbing to the top of Haven’s Bridge.

“I’m surprised you didn’t already know.” Qrow said, their shoulders pressed together as he held his phone between them. It was playing one of their latest uploads.

“My parents are really strict.” Tai explained, completely engrossed as he watched the three scale up the side of Beacon Tower. “One hour of internet once a week. That’s it. TV’s the same way.”

“Wow that’s like… beyond sheltered man. So, guess asking for your social media deets won’t do any good, huh?”

“Yep. Don’t have any of them.” He shrugged. That’s when the impact of what the other just said smacked him harder than a wipeout on a halfpipe. The sudden spike of nerves left goosebumps all over his skin. “But uh, I can give you my phone number if you want? It’s uh – ha! – as ancient as Rome though so, erum, if you don’t mind calling…”

Qrow grinned, saying like it was no big deal, “For sure! It’s all good man. Oh – wait, you know what? I’ve got an even crazier idea.” He twisted around in the grass, sitting up all straight and proper like a business executive about to offer a rousing proposition. “Why don’t you come with us when we do the bridge climb?”

Tai’s heart jumped. “Really?!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Raven, who up until that point he had assumed had fallen asleep, tilted her head back to give her brother a firm look. “Don’t just go inviting him like that and not telling him what he’s actually getting into.”

Summer turned over onto her stomach, looking his way. “She’s right. I know we make it look easy, but what we’re doing, it’s no joke. You make one wrong move, you slip or whatever, and that’s it. You’re _gone_.”

“And even if you do survive that, you could still get caught by security or police. That means hours detained in a cell and a shit ton of fines to pay off.” Raven added. “You’ve got to be prepared to lose those gambles if you come with us.”

“Then why do you guys do it?” He asked.

Qrow shifted back on his hands as he looked at him. “We got lotsa reasons. But ain’t that the wrong question?”

“Huh?”

“Back at the park, when you did that flip, what were you thinking about? You could have busted your head open or broken your neck. So why’d you do it?”

He’d never really given it all that much thought before. “I dunno? Because it was fun.”

He nodded. “Yeah, alright. Risk is worth the reward. That’s a fair one. What else?”

“I don’t,” He shook his head. “I don’t really know what you want me to say?”

Qrow hummed, tiling his head some. “Alright, let me ask it a different way. Say you did fuck up, tripped over your foot or whatever, and spilled your brains all over the pavement. You’re dead. Would you regret it?”

Tai frowned. “Well, yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s such a stupid way to die!”

Qrow snorted loudly. “That’s embarrassment, not regret.” He lent forward. “Okay, let me get even more philosophical with you. What if you could see the future and you had known succeeding meant you’d get to meet us, but you had a higher chance of failing it? Now would you do it?”

Tai swallowed, finding it hard to look away from those red eyes, piercing him with a sharp intensity that pulled him in. “Yeah, definitely.”

Qrow grinned, patting his knee. “That’s the ticket, man. To everything in life, really. You can live your whole life with regrets following after you or you can take risks and see where it leads you. Yeah, they ain’t all going to work out in the end, but if you don’t try then even that one percent chance you had is now always a zero. So now just apply the same reasoning. Yeah, if you come with us, there’s a lot you could lose. But what if there’s something to gain? Is it worth it?”

Tai wasn’t stupid; he knew he was already rather smitten with Qrow, even though he barely knew him.

So, he knew that was why the only answer he could find was: “Yes.”

Two days later, he was standing on the top arch of Haven’s Bridge and found he gained something else entirely. Because even though he didn’t lose his footing, he still couldn’t help but think this was how it felt to fly.

* * *

By the time he heard someone else climbing up the ladder, the horizon was starting to lighten, changing the sky from a dark black to a pale indigo.

“Figured I’d find you up here man.” Qrow said as he plopped down next to him, one leg hanging over while he let the other become a convenient arm rest.

“I’ll try harder to confound you next time.”

He laughed. “Confound? That makes you sound like some sort of cartoon super villain.”

“Or a nerd.” He rebutted.

“I hate to break it to you dude,” Qrow said, a solemn heaviness to his tone as he laid a hand on his shoulder. “You _are_ a nerd.”

Tai sent a meaningful look over the edge. “Be careful where you say stuff like that. I can easily say it was an accident.”

That only made him laugh harder. “You’re a card, man.”

He smiled, turning back to his sunrise. In the corner of his eye, he could see Qrow scrolling through their Youtube page. “How’s the new one doing?”

“Better than usual, we’ve already got twenty-thousand views.” His eyes darted about, reading comments, and snorted. “Read some of the top ones, Mr. Popular.”

Taiyang held up the phone as it was handed off to him. Most of them were of the normal fare – favorite quotes, one-liner jokes and current memes, and still a few outlier complaints about them changing their channel name even though it’d been over a year (but really, they couldn’t keep calling themselves the Harbinger _Trio_ , now could they? And STRQ had a nice ring to it). But he quickly found the chain of comments Qrow was talking about:

-Did anyone else have a heart attack when Tai just took one for the team like that?

-OMG Yes! He’s too innocent for jail

-I’m so glad he was okay! He’s a cinnamon roll who needs to be protected!

-Taiyang Protection Squad 2018!

He read through a few more before giving the device back. “Cinnamon roll?”

“It’s means you’re too sweet and too good to do any harm.” Qrow explained without missing a beat. He was too used to having to educate him on the nuances of internet lingo. “Pretty accurate, actually.”

Tai furrowed his brow. “I’m literally doing crimes with you guys every weekend.”

He side-eyed him, humming as he weighed that in, then firmly decided, “Nope. Still accurate.”

Tai snorted, shaking his head. They fell silent for a bit after that. He scanned the horizon to watch the world awaken with dawn’s approach. Qrow kept reading comments. Eventually he got up and switched to his camera, moving about the roof and taking practice shots to try and figure the best angles.

When he started taking a few behind him, he asked, “Want me to move?”

“Nah, you’re good.” He replied, continuing on.

Just as the skyline was overtaken by an orange hue, indicating the sun was coming up, Qrow sat back down next to him. Tai glanced at him. “Not gonna take any?”

He fidgeted with the phone. “Just want to get the best shot, you know? But the only one I can think of I need your help for.”

“Sure. What do you need me to do?”

Qrow looked at him. The expression on his face was hard to catalogue, because it seemed a peculiar mixture of both sly and shy. “You want to do something really dangerous?”

Tai’s eyes widened. “I’m not hanging over the edge.”

“No, no. You don’t have to move. Well, not much at least.” He held his camera back behind them, rotating his wrist until they were both in the shot. Then he turned back to him and gave him a request so impossible, he had to of misheard him:

“Kiss me.”

He blinked. “…What?”

“Kiss me.” Qrow repeated. His camera hand was shaking.

He looked around, certain he was about to see flying bears or something. Because he had to be dreaming… right? “Are you serious?”

“Well, why don’t you risk it to find out?” He said unhesitatingly.

Much like that fateful day in the park, it felt like there was only one choice to make.

So, as he sat there, at the top of the world and the sun peeking over the ocean, Tai leaned over and pressed his lips to Qrow’s.

It was a tender thing. Just their lips, both a little chapped, brushing together for a few innocent seconds. It didn’t cause explosions or fireworks, though he’d long ago found out that was just nonsense drivel written in all the worst romance books. Rather, it made his body tingle pleasantly and his heart hop.

He faintly heard the snap of the camera and then Qrow pulled away. There was a mellowness to his gaze he’d never seen before, almost soft.

“That…” Tai swallowed, trying to beat down the hope fluttering in his throat. “That wasn’t just for the picture, right?”

Qrow moved further back, the growing intenseness leaving Tai feeling shivery. But instead of answering, all he said was, “Come with me.” Before standing and heading back for the hatch.

Confused, he followed, climbing down the ladder and heading down the first flight. When they completely bypassed the top floor though – and then the one after as well – he wasn’t sure what was going on anymore. “Qrow?” He called.

He didn’t stop, but he did look back, his smile reassuring and inviting. It spurred Tai to continue on and once they hit the third landing, the other finally changed direction, leading him down the hall. He skipped the first few doors, before choosing one and heading inside. He stepped in after him, shutting the door tentatively behind him.

Qrow had stepped out into the living area. The way the azure blue of the morning sky framed him took Tai’s breath away. He was so impossibly gorgeous. All of his questions just seemed to melt away to a sudden rush of desire.

So, when Qrow turned to him, beckoning him with a soft, “Come here.” Tai went. And when he told him, “Lean against the wall.” He did. Red eyes raked over him – _hungrily_ , Tai realized – a pleased smile spreading along Qrow’s lips. He stalked over slowly, their bodies barely touching as he leaned in and kissed him again. It was gentle, just like the one on the roof. Qrow pulled back, just far enough to regard him with a lidded gaze.

Tai wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but as the seconds ticked on, his patience wore out. “God, you’re driving me mad.” He whispered, smashing their lips together with more ferocity then he’d meant to. Qrow made a noise of surprise, but adjusted quickly, pressing forward until Tai’s head thunked back against the wall. He hardly cared, because the slide of Qrow’s tongue against his was so addicting that he soon lost track of everything around him. It was nothing else but Qrow, pressing his chest up against his. Qrow, sucking on his bottom lip. Qrow, gasping softly whenever he pulled back to catch his breath.

At some point, Tai’s hands had ended up on the man’s hips, rubbing idle circles with his thumbs against the protruding bones. He wasn’t really thinking this would be anything more than a heavy make-out session. But the sudden, warm hands running down his torso to his stomach, then up again but this time under his shirt, had him shivering all over. He breathed heavily through his nose, his mind starting to reel to all sorts of possibilities but trying so hard not to go there.

All doubts that Qrow wasn’t on board with his thought process were washed away the moment he deliberately pressed their hips together, the telltale bulge indicating everything the other wanted.

Tai broke the kiss, saying between heavy pants, “God, are we really doing this?”

“Tai.” The sound of Qrow saying his name all breathless sent a spike of arousal through him. And then, he rolled his hips into his, the sensation shaking him. “Do you want this?”

“Yes.” He gasped out, the amount of need in his voice almost animalistic. “God, _yes_.”

He wasn’t sure if it was the way he said it or just the consent, but Qrow attacked him with a new sort of vigor. Fingers entangled into his hair, tugging just enough to tip his head to the right so lips could latch onto his neck and suck down hard. The other hand continued to explore his torso, a finger flicking over his nipple and those hips rolled up against his a few more times, pulling a stuttering whimper from his throat.

But it was Qrow’s voice that really threatened to undo him, nursing the mark he definitely left and whispering out fervently, “Good. Because God, have I wanted you. You wouldn’t believe how long.”

Yet, he could believe it. It was suddenly so obvious. The way Qrow was almost always the one who called when they got separated. The glaringly obvious flirting. The stray touches that grew bolder by the day. The almost jealous way he went on about how the fans gushed over him. It had all been there and he’d been so blind about it.

The more he thought about it, the more hilarious it was, until he was actually laughing.

“What?” Qrow asked.

Tai shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just,” He stared down into the other’s eyes, admitting, “Truth is, all this daredevil, Evil Knievel shit we’ve been doing? It’s amazing and all, nothing else like it really. But believe me that I wouldn’t be doing it at all if it weren’t for the fact that it’s all been with you.”

He took a moment to process that, saying after several long moments, “I don’t know if that’s ridiculously romantic or incredibly stupid.”

“It’s probably both.” He said, grinning like a loon even as his heart beat on overdrive. “Please tell me it doesn’t ruin my chances.”

“Oh hell no it doesn’t.” Qrow’s hand cupped around the back of his neck, pulling him in again, the ferventness back tenfold as he hissed against lips, “You’re mine.”

The words left his legs shuddering. Or maybe it was because of the hand now at his belt, hastily undoing the buckle. In contrast, the unbuttoning and pulling down of his zipper was done teasingly slow. His entire body felt like it had coiled tight like a spring, waiting with anticipation, so that when Qrow finally, _finally_ dipped into his pants and grasped his cock, Tai couldn’t help the low groan that rumbled from his throat.

Qrow was chuckling, his lips on his neck again. He didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver, his strokes shallow and brief and maddeningly not enough. He seemed to know it though, as his other hand slipped down to start pulling down his jeans. He shifted back from the new hickey he’d left against the junction of Tai’s shoulder to whisper, “Lift your hips.” 

He did so, even helping push his pants and boxers down until they fell down around his ankles. The wall was cold against his bare skin, rising goosebumps down his legs and the way Qrow idly pumped at his cock while his eyes raked over him left Tai feeling rather exposed. His nerves weren’t given long to last though because Qrow gave him a mischievous little grin before he slipped down to his knees and – Oh.

**_Oh._ **

“Fuck.” Tai gasped as Qrow’s mouth closed around the tip of his cock. Unsure what to do with his hands, he just dug his nails into the wall. When that tongue swirled over him, his mind blanked entirely. Everything was just hot and wet and – and Qrow was taking in more of him, bobbing his head back and forth. His own thumped against the wall again, shutting his eyes tightly as he moaned. “Ah, ah, Qrow.”

He heard a little pop, and Qrow whispered huskily, “I could really get used to those noises.” And then he was swallowing him down again.

Tai had to struggle to not jerk forward, his legs giving a few aborted twitches. Little pets along his thighs left trails of warmth along his skin. But it was nothing compared to the heat around his cock, the swallows becoming deeper, harder. Underneath the wet sounds he was making, and Tai’s own heavy breathing, a noise of another zipper being undone had his eyes fluttering open before rolling down. 

The sight of Qrow jerking himself off was almost too much, the tightening in his gut leaving him weak-kneed. “Ah, fuck! W-wait!”

Around the haze clouding his mind he found himself rather impressed by how fast Qrow backed off. “What? What is it?”

“I…” Tai turned away, the coolness of the wall feeling nice against the flush of his cheeks. “I need to lay down.”

There was nothing at first, then Qrow snorted. “Really?”

“Shut up.” Tai grumbled. The little nip on his thigh did not make up for the jab – okay, maybe it did a tiny bit.

He didn’t tease him any more though, adjusting his clothing as he got to his feet and moved away so Tai could step out of his jeans. He pulled off his shoes for good measure as well. He walked forward to the center of the room so they’d have more space. A hand on his shoulder delayed him though.

Qrow gave him a wink before pulling off his shirt. It wasn’t his first time seeing the other shirtless, but under these contexts, it was hard not to let his eyes rove along the pale expanse of skin, light ivory nipples, and surprisingly defined muscle. If he noticed his staring, he didn’t seem bothered by it as he laid his clothing out on the floor, gesturing to it. “Less rug burn this way.”

Tai laughed. “What a gentleman you are.” Yet he gladly took the offer, laying himself out along the shirt. It was Qrow’s turn to stare. Just like before, his eyes wandered over him in such a deliberate way it left him squirming self-consciously. “What are you looking at?”

“Just enjoying the view.” He purred.

He rolled his eyes, not willing to admit aloud how good that made him feel. “Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to be enjoying _you_ right now.”

Qrow chuckled, sitting down between the bend of Tai’s knees. He ran his hands up and down his legs again, coming close but never quite brushing his still hard cock. “Well, if you really wanted that, then I should have brought some lube.”

The very sudden image of Qrow, above him, calling out his name, his back arching as Tai slammed up into him from below, left his mind spinning.

He swallowed hard. “Next time.”

“Mmm, yeah. Next time.” He echoed. “But for now…” His fingers curled around him, tonguing over his slit. His other hand was dancing delicately over his balls and scrotum, dipping lower to slide between his cheeks.

The brush of a digit against his hole had him sucking in a sharp breath.

Qrow was watching him carefully. “Have you done this before?”

“Yeah just…” He spread his legs more. “Be gentle. And we don’t have anything so-”

“Yeah, I won’t do more than one.” He promised. He lifted his hand to his mouth, sucking generously around his index finger. The spit wouldn’t last long, but it helped the initial slide in. Tai closed his eyes, hissing softly around the stretch, muscles clenching around the intrusion. After he was given a bit to get comfortable, Qrow started to carefully slide it in and out, exploring his walls. It was slightly painful. But mostly just uncomfortable.

Yet, it was easy to stop thinking about it when the scorching heat of Qrow’s mouth was around him again. Tai dug his heels into the ground, giving himself leverage to tilt his hips up and chase the pleasurable warmth around his cock. His groans began anew, steadily getting louder. His arousal, which had dipped during their readjustment was rising up again, alarmingly fast.

And that was when Qrow finally hit his prostrate, setting him alight with desire.

He threw his head back, shouting sharply, “Fuck, Qrow!”

Qrow continued to bob his head earnestly along the length of his cock, hooded red eyes watching as Tai fell apart underneath him. The finger inside him kept curling and uncurling against that spot, constantly firing off those nerves until it was almost too much to bear.

Tai’s hands clutched around fistfuls of carpet, body arching upwards, his moans constant now. “Ooooh god. I’m, hah- ah! I’m gonna cum!”

Qrow just hummed, moving up to suck down hard on his tip while his finger pressed up one more time.

Tai tossed his head back, crying out again as the roar of his orgasm hit. He stayed there, suspended in pleasure as Qrow continued swallowing around him, hips jerking until he was spent and he fell back to the ground, blissfully content.

Qrow pulled back, wasting no time in shoving down his pants and wrapping his fingers around his own cock, his pumps frantic and quick. Tai watched him, almost willing to just let him come all over him, but it didn’t really seem fair this way considering he’d done all the work so far.

It took a bit of effort to get his shaky limbs to cooperate, but he managed to tuck his legs underneath him and sit up on his knees. He bat the hand away, ignoring the slightly chagrined look it earned him – especially when it fell away to pleasure as his own hand took its place. The cock felt heavy in his hand and he could already feel just how close he was from the pulse in the veins and steady pre-come wetting his fingers as he stroked.

“Tai…” Qrow murmured, leaning up against him. His lanky arms wound around him, clutching desperately at his shirt as his lower half thrust up into his hand. He buried his face into his neck, his breathing picking up.

And this just gave Tai full access to his ear. Making sure to not lose his rhythm, he latched his mouth around the lobe, sucking gently just as he used his other hand to rub over the little gland along the top of the head.

Qrow gasped loudly, which faded into a rumbling groan as he climaxed, warm cum shooting against his leg and all over his hand. Tai lessened his grip, slowing his movements but not stopping until he felt the other collapse more fully against him. He dropped a few idle kisses along the side of his face he could reach, letting him catch his breath.

Even when he had, Qrow didn’t seem to have that much interest in moving. “That was good.”

“It was amazing.” Tai chuckled, using the carpet to rub his hands clean. He felt a little bad, but at least it was already white.

He nuzzled further into his neck. “Wish we could stay here longer. Blow our minds out with some great sex then just lay under the clouds and all that cute shit.”

Tai snorted, running a hand through Qrow’s feathery black locks that were beyond windswept. “That’s surprisingly tame coming from you.”

“Sssh, I’m allowed.”

He smiled. “We… don’t have to go quite yet, right?”

“Nah, we’re probably good for a bit longer.”

“Good.” Tai pulled Qrow down, letting his slimmer body drape over him. When he felt him nestle into his collarbone, the stray thought from yesterday struck him again. As he mulled it over, he found he still agreed that meeting the trio was the worst thing to of ever happened to him.

Because there was no one else in the world that could ever make him as reckless in the face of danger and love every minute of it like they could.

And Qrow was the worst offender of them all.

Because he was the only one who could make him reckless with his heart.


End file.
